Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Ryanair has closed on an order for 100 Boeing 737 Max 200s, valued at $11 billion at current list prices, the parties announced Monday. The order, originally announced as a commitment in September, includes options for 100 additional 737 Max 200s and makes Ryanair the launch customer for the newest member of the 737 MAX family of airplanes. The Irish low-fare airline expects to take delivery of its first 100 Max 200s from 2019 through&nbsp;2023.

 


Plans call for Ryanair’s airplanes to come in a single-class, 197-seat interior configuration, meaning they will hold eight more passengers than Boeing designed the standard Max 8 to carry. Boeing’s new design allows for as many as 200 seats by incorporating a mid-exit door to increase the exit limit, giving the airplane the potential to offer 20-percent better operating cost efficiency than the current 737-800NG&nbsp;delivers.

 


While meeting in New York in September with Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary quoted estimates that, apart from the fuel savings benefits the Max promises to deliver over the NG, the eight extra seats could generate $1 million per aircraft a year in additional revenue for&nbsp;Ryanair.

 


O’Leary noted that the removal of unneeded front and rear galley space and the repositioning of lavatory space to the rear of the airplane means Ryanair’s 197-seat Max 200s will allow more leg room than the airline’s current 800NGs now offer. Seat pitch, he said, will expand to slightly more than 30 inches. “Some of the toilets are moving into where the rear galley is now,” he&nbsp;explained.

 


The 737 Max 200 represents Boeing’s response to the growth of the low-fare sector, which it estimates will account for 35 percent of single-aisle airline capacity by 2033. “While the heart of the single-aisle market will remain at 160 seats, the 737 Max 200 will provide carriers like Ryanair with up to 11 more seats of potential revenue and up to 5 percent lower operating costs than the 737 Max 8, driving economic growth and increasing access to air travel,” Boeing said in a statement.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

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News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

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News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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